regent
by dotRHEA
Summary: - it all started when one day, his Second in Command brought home a half dead girl. XanxusOC
1. meeting

**NOTE: 'Regent' is a short series of One-Shots based around Xanxus/OC. May refer to characters from 'Sky Drive' (used to be 'Empyrean Hearts'). The option to read 'Sky Drive' is up to you.**

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><p>A violent unrehearsed chorus of screams was always dominant in the Varia mansion. There was never a day where you wouldn't hear a chair breaking, a wall crumbling, or Squalo's bitch fits. But what was very uncommon among them was when Xanxus of all people started yelling. Well actually that was always very common but every since a certain woman reentered his life, his bitch fits were endless and nerve raking.<p>

Now that his son reached the age of 14, fights between Xanxus and his wife seemed to grow. This was probably why she reduced her visits to once a year and forced the boy to spend Christmas with her. She hated these fights. She hated how she would come to the mansion thinking that she could start all over again only to leave with angry blood running down her clenched fists and a half broken heart. She knew that he hated this too. So did the rest of the Varia.

His wife was something like a Persephone— except with a less beautiful, goddess-like glow. She helped calm down Xanxus before he started throwing stuff at Squalo, she did the paperwork while Xanxus was out on a mission, and she cleaned his X-guns whenever he was drowning in paperweight. And like the goddess of spring, she always had to leave.

Back when they were newlyweds, she remembered always being alongside the Varia Boss. The sex was amazing whenever he was back from a mission and a diplomat had pissed him off. He was never slow with her, never careful. She liked it like that.

The first major fight they had was during her pregnancy with Steffan, Xanxus had gone a little too far, ordering her to make him a fillet mignon 7 o'clock in the morning. She didn't come back till three months later when her stomach was starting to swell like a whale. He started to treat her slightly better after that.

She remembered the first time she met Xanxus. She was eight at the time, and her father had introduced him to her first before her brothers in fear that his children wouldn't accept the kid.

"Gabriella, this is your brother Xanxus." he said, patting the nine year old lightly. He glared at her, "Xanxus, this is your new sister Gabriella."

She never questioned her father; he was the ninth Vongola boss so his word was absolute. Besides she never really thought much on the fact that she only had three real brothers anyways. She held out her hand, "Welcome to the de Giulio family!" she said smiling. When her father left the room with a satisfied smirk, she quickly ran to the windows telling him that he now had the privilege of knowing every inside joke and secret pathway shared only by the young heirs.

For the first time in Xanxus' nine year old life, he felt welcomed.

The years passed by like that, surprisingly with aid of Gabriella, Xanxus was well received by the Ninth's sons- Massimo, Federico and Enrico. But unlike Gabriella, they already knew the truth about Xanxus. This fact went ignored and forgotten the more and more they spent time with each other.

The two of them did almost everything together, it seemed like Gabriella was the only person Xanxus could tolerate and she was the only person who could tolerate his short temper. They sat together during dinner, had lessons together and almost at every party, they would be in the corner and just talk to each other like a good brother and sister would.

It wasn't until the Ninth sent him off to the Academy did he change dramatically. The summer when the academy finally let out and the sixteen year old came back to the mansion sporting an ugly buzzcut was when she realized just how much a single person can change. He didn't joke around with her anymore, didn't tease her every time she fell or did something wrong, conversations were awkward between the two, it was during this time that she realized she couldn't possibly be related with him. He had jet black hair- she had chocolate brown. He had angry crimson eyes—her a baby blue.

Gabriella came to the conclusion that he was adopted.

She was proven right the day she turned 16 and her father was making her choose a suitor from a book that Reborn had prepared. She had that book snatched away from her more than twice, had to save it from being dipped in an acid puddle and had to put it back together again page by page after one of her brothers decided to tear all the pages out and hide it all around the mansion when Reborn was away- none of these pranks were made by Xanxus though. Gabriella decided it was better to leave it alone.

Of course, then came that day she was sitting on the coach tiredly by herself flipping through the book. She was about to fall asleep when Xanxus came out of nowhere, throwing his Varia jacket at her and slouched on the couch, taking up most of the space. He smelled strangely of tequila and cognac. She just tossed the jacket off, already used to this kind of behavior and continued to flip through the book.

She almost screamed when Xanxus leaned over, his hot breath near her ear and asked, "What are you doing?"

She continued to flip through the book, too afraid that he might see the blush creeping up her face. _Dammit, he's my brother!_She thought to herself and silently wondered how much alcohol he consumed.

"Xanxus..." she stared at him wearingly, thinking up one of the many ways to check just how wasted he was, "I want a hug."

He only stared at her with an eyebrow raised before grumbling and pulling her into his lap, hugging her lightly.

Gabriella could've sworn her face exploded as she mentally reminded herself to tell her father to put a limit at how much alcohol Xanxus was allowed to consume. He grabbed the book in a drunken daze and started to flip through the book, "you getting married?"

"Yeah..." she muttered awkwardly, she heard him grumble angrily before flipping to a random page. "This one."

Gabriella turned a million different shades of red. "B-but..."

Xanxus passed out before she even had a chance to form proper sentences, leaving her to stare at the page with XANXUS DE GIULIO written all over it.

She didn't notice how DE GIULIO was crossed out and replaced with L'KRYX until the next day when Reborn had asked her who she would choose. As she merely said she wanted more time, she wondered if that was his real name.

As time passed, the two went back to their normal lives, Xanxus back to his grumpy and now alcohol-restricted self and Gabriella with suitors all at her heels (Reborn finally decided it was better for her to just meet all her potential husbands in person). The two stopped talking to each other altogether and her brothers kept trying to embarrass her in front of her suitors. Life really did return to normal after Xanxus and her brothers had to return to the Academy for their second year.

The day she finally decided on a suitor was the day Enrico died. Lately, Xanxus was hanging out in the Varia Mansion more and more, only returning home way past dawn. When Enrico died, her decision to get married and leave the house, though unknown to her at the time, saved her life (her decision to listen to Squalo that one time he told her leave Xanxus alone would've too but that was a different story).

Dante Estello was a man that almost radiated of accomplishment and good fortune. He was the ninth head of the Cavallone family and was a good six years older than her. At the time, Gabriella was only 18 when he proposed, he had spent a good two years chasing after her and felt ecstatic the day she finally accepted his proposals. She knew he meant well though, after years of studying from the book- she knew he was a polygamist but yet he held no ill fortune, he simply didn't know how to say no. The age border didn't even phase her one bit.

So she accepted his proposal, seeing as she was better off with him than any of the other suitors. The ring he gave her drove all her doubts about this marriage away anyways; it almost looked like a wedding ring. A beautiful 24 karat diamond sat sparkling on the silver band, cut into the shape of a small heart with golden wings holding it in place. It fit perfectly on her finger. It was the only thing from Dante that she loved with all her heart and soul.

Xanxus didn't think the same of it though; having caught a glimpse of it one day as he was walking by and Gabriella was toying around with the TV remote. He picked a fight, asking if she was getting married and why the ring was so ugly. That day the girl left the Vongola mansion, fuming like mad and sought temporary refuge at her fiancé's mansion.

Dante thought it would be a good idea then to take her to the Caribbean as a way to tame her anger. They were gone for a few weeks and during thse weeks, Gabriella had no idea what was going on back home. She didn't know a coup d'état was staged against the Vongola. She didn't know the Varia was finally rebelling. She didn't know the lasts of her brothers died during this battle. She didn't know Xanxus was encased in a block of ice in the dark corners of the basement until she came back and Reborn had dragged her to be her father's audience.

She didn't take the news well, screaming and crying as her father's guards carried her out of his private quarters and into her room where she would be locked into for days. Later Reborn explained to her that the Ninth was suspicious that she would attack him too. The news shocked her even more as she refused to eat or talk; only staring out her window sadly and sleeping when her body demanded it.

After a little while they let her fiancé see her, in fear that she might've been dying in her room and no one knew it. She talked if only for a few sentences, ate a slice of cake or two and finished off some of the homemade pizza Dante had brought over just in case she was hungry. It was progress, if only a little but it didn't aid in her mental health.

When the ninth ruled she was not a threat and allowed her out of her room, the first place she went to was the basement. Where Xanxus was in his little case of ice. It took hours to find but when she finally did, she was glad that there was a chair nearby.

Xanxus looked the same as ever, he looked absolutely furious, his clothes were slightly ripped and she noticed that his raccoon tail was starting to fall off. She could feel him glower at her as she sat down quietly.

"I'm still mad at you, ass hat." she started nonchalantly as she tried her best to maintain her poker face. It was so hard not to give in to the temptation and pity and free him of the icy prison already, "I really am getting married because of you"

She knew he could hear her. She remembered Reborn briefly explaining to her about the Zero Point Breakthrough. It only aided in her pity for Xanxus

"I don't love him, you know... I could see you throwing a beer bottle at me now..." she winced at the thought, "remember when we were little and you asked how I would to be married? Yeah well, it wouldn't be a wedding if you weren't there screwing it up would it?"

She smiled a bit and scratched the back of her head, oh how much of an idiot she felt like now... "You'd be there, in a suit sitting by yourself in the bar and I'll walk over and then you'll look at me strange before saying 'you clean up well' and then I'll slap you and tell you that you're supposed to say congrat- ahh.. I'm blabbering aren't I?"

She stretched and stared at Xanxus mutely, "I know we're not siblings Xanxus. We all did. And I'm sorry for not telling you sooner... Y-you're not going to see me again."

And with that said, she left. Never setting foot in her former home for the ten years that followed.

It was a rainy day and Squalo had just been called out by an old friend—Buckling Bronco. Apparently the ninth Cavallone boss had just been assassinated and they needed backup to help fight back the enemy. He was dead moody right now; Xanxus had made a bitch fit right before he left, demanding why his filet mignon wasn't cooked right. And the terrible weather and timing was just horrible.

He found Dino battling off some Mafiosi the second he got into Cavallone grounds. "Yo! Bronco, watch out!" he screamed as he jumped over the blond and killed his enemies in one swift swipe. The fights went off like that. Dirty trails of blood stained his jacket and he made note to wash it when he got home.

When the fighting was finally over, it was already midday the next day. Squalo had guessed Xanxus would be throwing another bitch fit at the moment and made an effort to leave. What he overheard Dino saying to Romario next immediately changed his mind, "did you find Gabriella de Giulio yet?"

"VOI! What about that damn woman?" he remembered when he was younger; he occasionally had tea with her. Once he heard her name being muttered out during one of Xanxus' vodka hangovers. It was strange; nowadays he was hearing nothing about the ninth's daughter's activities. It was almost as if she was dead.

Dino probably didn't know how close that woman was to the Varia, "Gabriella de Giulio. She was living here with the ninth head. We haven't found her yet..." he trailed off and Squalo rolled his eyes at the new found information, "VOOI! I'm leaving now then; I don't have time for this bullshit!"

He really didn't. Not when he knew what Xanxus would do when he found out what he was doing.

The sky broke free of its rainy prison, sunlight seeped through and ironically one of them hit Dino as he bid him farewell, making him look like one of Luss' wet dreams had came true.

Squalo almost threw up as he left hastily.

As he made his way to the Varia mansion he mutely wondered what would the boss do if he told him that his foster sister had gone missing. He remembered him getting so angry that minute he was out of the ice prison, demanding for her presence only to find out she was living with her fiancé in England. He was fuming and had Squalo not stopped him, he would've broken the foundation of the impregnable Vongola mansion. He wondered why they moved back to Italy and what they're relationship was. Eight years earlier, he knew that he cared for her like a dickhead of an older brother would for his younger sister but every since the cradle incident, he began to doubt his boss. Was he starting to like his ex-foster sister? How close were they exactly? Would he still care for her?

Something tumbling to the ground behind broke him out of his thought, he whipped around just as a bloodied woman staggered toward him in a zombie like trance. Squalo had to admit, it was kind of creepy; her hair was all in her face, chocolate hair was matted with blood and her clothes made her look like she was the Grudge or something. He would've turned back had he not heard her muttering, "S-se... Squalo?"

He watched as the ninth's daughter staggered toward him, a trail of blood following behind her and her arms that were decorated with cuts and bruises. He caught her when she tripped over a tree branch and twisted her ankle; Gabriella looked at him as if she wanted to say something but ended up coughing up blood and blacking out in his arms.

The next few moments were a blur, all he knew was that he called Dino and told him that he found the ninth's daughter and was bringing her back to the mansion since it was closer, hurled her over his shoulder and returned to the mansion half panting and covered in blood. He didn't know what he was thinking as he swung open the doors only to be met with the furious eyes of Xanxus.

"Trash, where the shut were you?" he asked angrily as he drained a bottle of tequila that was in his hands, he didn't let Squalo answer as he glanced at what he was carrying, " there will be no dead bodies in my house."

Squalo honestly didn't know what he was doing then. Didn't know why he brought back a half dead girl, didn't know why he didn't leave her in the hospital the way, didn't know why he didn't pick up groceries on the way back.

And he also didn't know if he was having a nightmare as he watched his stone cold boss stare at the woman carefully before gently taking her off his shoulder and into the infirmary where he would spent the next few days alone with only a half dead woman and the doctors as company.

He honestly didn't know.

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><p><strong>So there's the prologue for you! This was laying around in my notes on my phone for the longest time ever so I finally decided to get it up on fanfiction! So yeah… updates well be random and each chapter would be a oneshot.<strong>


	2. dream: wedding

**NOTE: 'Regent' is a short series of One-Shots based around Xanxus/OC. May refer to characters from 'Sky Drive' (used to be 'Empyrean Hearts'). The option to read 'Sky Drive' is up to you.**

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><p>In this small imaginative world of mine, I had a dream. Three long years have passed and I, as a young woman of only 36 years of age, am standing solemn in drapes of pure snow white silk. A mirror generously stands before me, reflecting what I secretly enjoyed.<p>

I am only 36. Long brown hair tied into a bun, decorated with diamond jewels and sapphire clips. Sky blue eyes of my reflection tell me that this would've been the best day of my life.

I do not feel it.

Is this my wedding? Thoughts rush through my head in a sickening roll of anxiety. Who am I to wed? Why am I in such a tight dress?

The reflection ripples and I see a man leaning down, holding a candy ring and a woman giggling like a schoolgirl.

Three long breathes escape my painted lips as I unconsciously adjust the diadem. In this dream, I am shaking nervously. A knock comes from behind the door and a man comes sauntering in. Memory fails me whenever I try remembering what this man looked like; I just knew he wore a suit and pink boa. Something told me that he probably was a head taller than me.

I called out, lips saying words that I made no sound to; he responds nonetheless in a voice that has yet to be voiceless.

My, Gabi! You look gorgeous! He says, giggling and giving me a once over before telling me to take off the corset if I was really that uncomfortable. I feel myself sigh happily as the man walk away so as to give me privacy while I take off the wretched clothing device.

Dream-me doesn't respond to the light scars and burn marks decorating my body as much as I do. I do not understand why, the sight of these healing injuries made me cringe unhappily. They were horrible, truly. But she doesn't even bat an eye as she tosses the corset off and ties up the gown.

The man comes back and a smile stretches on both of our mouths. Are you ready? He asks as he holds his elbow out towards me, he hesitates before quickly rushing over to brush aside some loose strands of hair. He tells me I look beautiful as we walk out mahogany doors.

Purple petals that are fading with each new illusion and knives decorate the stony path as we practically skip down in happy wedding giddy. We're joking and laughing all the way to where the groom waits; we don't even notice the wedding march starting and curious civilized guests staring at us strangely. It doesn't matter anyways because the cleric is swearing like a sailor and the best man is juggling the rings carelessly into the air. Everyone who had the sense to join our happiness was laughing anyways. Father was chuckling lightly as the groom had a small smirk stretching on his lips.

The groom...

The dream doesn't give me much time to think as the cleric starts reciting the vows in the most unholy matter ever. A large hand covers mine and I exchange looks with the groom.

He's probably twice my size; I think to myself, he can probably break me with just a flick of his hand. His skin is tanned and a decorative feathers flow from beneath his silky black hair. No tux. Just a dress shirt, tie and dark pants. I tell him that I'm glad he even came as the cleric tells me to shut up if I ever want to be married.

I'm not angry, instead I just pout and the silver haired cleric sends me an equally childish look before going back to the vows.

Bell chime happily and the wedding march turns into some rock medley as we exchange rings. The best man laughs or giggles or whatever the heck that strange sound is as he levitates the rings over to the groom and I. Nervous hands struggle to place the rings on shaky hands before we snap and grab at each other's hands and force the rings down nervous fingers. What came out were humorous breaths and giggles as the cleric just skips ahead to naming us husband and wife.

As he leans down, shadowed eyes of unknown colors was what met my vision before I close my eyes romantically. Warm lips are what I feel last before I wake up abruptly, tossing off the covers and falling off the king size bed, scaring the heck out of the big burly man who was assigned night watch outside my bedroom door.

Somewhere in my overly creative mind, I entertain the thought that the man could've been my adoptive brother Xanxus who had now found permanent residence within a giant block of ice in father's basement. I laugh it off and fall back into blissful sleep, leaving the guard wondering if I was high or something.

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><p><strong>Short chapter, I know. I just wanted to see how well I could write if I really was trying. <strong>


	3. one too many

**NOTE: 'Regent' is a short series of One-Shots based around Xanxus/OC. May refer to characters from 'Sky Drive' (used to be 'Empyrean Hearts'). The option to read 'Sky Drive' is up to you.**

**A little language for a moody Xanxus.**

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><p>The empty bottles of liquor are littered all around him as the sounds of his subordinates' antics are nothing but whispers to his ear from far down the hall. He leans over the counter, reaching for another bottle of cognac only to come up short. He doesn't know what he's at now. Doesn't know how many bottles of beer surround him now.<p>

The limit of how much he was allowed to consume is far from his mind as he drags himself to the cupboards in search for another bottle, another escape.

Her voice haunts him as he gulps down the bitter bitter liquid, carelessly letting trails of red wine stain his dress shirt. She'll yell, the tiny voice tells him, but then there's a crash and a wave and all he sees is red.

Fuck that.

He finishes off the bottle angrily, throwing it behind him and letting the sounds of shattering glass calm him. His head spins as he stares at the chaos he's made, staring at the sea of bottles he's downed and wonders how the hell he got here.

And then his chest tightens and it feels like he's being engulfed in his own flames. His throat is scratchy, his breaths come up short and all he thinks is _why._

Why did this happen? Why did he get to this pathetic state? Why did he let her go again? Why? Why? Why?

He staggers to the sink in an intoxicated daze, seeing only funny things that he wished hadn't come to mind then. His hands threaten to destroy the tabletop; the taste of her is on his tongue as it all goes out. Out. Out.

His head is hung over the steel, he's so drunk that he doesn't know the difference between pain and the euphony of being trigger happy. All he wants is to sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

His eyes are fluttering shut when the door flies open and the woman waltzes in like she owns the place—in doesn't occur to him that she kind of does.

"Xanxus, do you—oh my gosh, what's that horrid… Xanxus!" he can bask in her cries for hours, not like he never did. Her voice is like a wind chime, something so smooth, so opposite from his violent hoarse one. She calms him, lulls him to sleep. She's his lullaby.

He almost forgets how loud she gets when she's mad though as he winces even though he can hardly hear anything. Why can't she leave him alone? All he wants to do is sleep, but there's something about those soundless moving lips that pulls him awake.

He stares tiredly as she mouths the word hospital over and over again; shaking him every so often to make sure he stays conscious. He tried shaking her off once, only to have her slip his shirt off and let him bask in the cold of his mansion. It doesn't faze him either way as he slumps to the ground and shuts his eyes.

The darkness almost embraces him when something yanks him up and he opens his eyes to stare at his second in command grumpily, "voi! We're taking you to the hospital."

"Put me down." He doesn't know what his voice sounds like anymore, all he knows is that the silverette just glares at him and his wife is struggling to catch up to the assassin, as she clings onto his arm muttering a thousand apologies.

He'll deal with her anger when he wakes up again.

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><p><strong>I wanted to write something to emphasize the fact that Xanxus is also human so alcohol poisoning is very much reality to him. Being the leader of a perfect assassination squad does not make him susceptible to disease.<strong>


End file.
